Nikolay Chernyshevsky, born on this day in 1828, was a Russian journalist, novelist, and socialist philosopher who authored the influential novel "What Is to Be Done?", an inspiration for the pamphlet by Vladimir Lenin.
While attending Saint Petersburg University, Chernyshevsky became politically radicalized, developing revolutionary, democratic, and materialist views. As a young man, he sympathized with the 1848 revolutions throughout Europe.
From 1851 to 1853, he taught Russian language and literature at the Saratov Gymnasium and openly expressed his beliefs to students, some of whom later became revolutionaries.
In 1862, he was arrested and confined in the Fortress of St. Peter and Paul, where he wrote his widely influential novel "What Is to Be Done?" The novel was an inspiration to many later Russian revolutionaries, who sought to emulate the novel's hero Rakhmetov, who was wholly dedicated to the revolution, ascetic in his habits, and highly disciplined.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky was so bothered by the political and psychological ideas expressed in the book that he wrote his "Notes from Underground" as a critical reaction against them.
Chernyshevsky was a dominant intellectual figure of the 1860s revolutionary democratic movement in Russia despite spending much of his later life in exile to Siberia, and was later praised by figures such as Karl Marx, Georgi Plekhanov, and Vladimir Lenin.
"But does it really help if a person doesn't realize what he lacks, or, if he does, he insists that he doesn't need it at all? That's an illusion, a fantasy. Human nature is stifled by reason, circumstances, and pride. It keeps silent and doesn't make itself known to one's consciousness, all the while silently doing its work of undermining life."
- Nikolay Chernyshevsky
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same cw
Obsessive thoughts or intrusive thoughts can run from scary to annoying. If it's bothering you so much you cant work or sleep or eat right, ya check with a professional. But they're on a spectrum, kinda like anything else. A LOT of "normal" (whatever normal is supposed to be) people get intrusive thoughts of dropping or hurting a baby when they're offered to hold it, for example.
I have OCD (not the obsessive cleaning kind a much more boring kind where I check the locks and the stove over and over etc), so I get a lot of obsessive thoughts too. I know you're not looking for advice, but for me the best thing after therapy and meditation and shit was realizing that your thoughts aren't you and also REALLY feeling that by noticing it during meditation. A sibling of mine has OCD but has the kind where they are worried about abusing other people - which is upsetting obviously but ironically makes them like the safest person to be around wrt abuse.
PTSD can also make you relive events, anxiety and panic disorders can do that kind of stuff. If it's increasingly worse you can manage it, if it's just a one off don't sweat it too much! Take care of yourself and be gentle with yourself, like you would for a close friend that told you something like you just said.
It's definitely not a one off thing, but I don't think it overly impacts my quality of life. And I do seem to be alright at catching it when it happens. Like I said, the frequency seems to depend on my mood, which lately hasn't been too fantastic. Thankfully though my mood hasn't been impacted by anything too related - different "characters" and whatnot.
Thanks for your thoughts, and honestly, meditation is not a bad idea.